Man denies brandishing gun at Olive Garden

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The man accused of pulling a gun and threatening employees at Carson City’s Olive Garden on July 21 pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

Carson District Judge James Wilson set an April 7 trial for David Paul Lane. The amended complaint includes four charges of assault with a deadly weapon and one of carrying a concealed weapon. That is two more counts of assault with a deadly weapon than Lane originally faced for allegedly threatening restaurant manager April Vlach and chef Daniel Cewinski. The two counts were added after his Justice Court preliminary hearing, when employees Erica Olivas and Amanda Fratis testified he pointed the semi-automatic pistol at them as well.

Wilson granted defense lawyer Marcie Ryba’s request to send Lane to Douglas County to be arraigned on that jurisdiction’s charge of assaulting the deputy who arrived at his home to make the arrest. She said she was trying to arrange it so all the charges against Lane could be handled at once. He set a Dec. 17 status check on that process.

Witnesses said Lane showed up at the restaurant demanding to see the manager. Vlach said she met with him, and he didn’t really say why he was upset. She said he refused to calm down and demanded to go into the kitchen. She said that’s when he pulled the gun and pointed it at her. Cewinski said he confronted Lane, and Lane responded by holding the weapon next to Cewinski’s head and pulling back the weapon’s slide, cocking it and asking if he wanted to die.

Lane was arrested quickly after leaving the restaurant because Olivas said she saw him get into his car and gave investigators his license number.